Banner of the Lithuanian Army. 1918 - 1940
Lithuanian army ( Lietuvós kariuómenė) began to form in November 1918, mainly from the number of Lithuanians - former military personnel russian armycaught during the First World War 1914 - 1918. in German captivity and released from it during the occupation of the Lithuanian lands by the German army in 1915-1918, as well as territorial self-defense detachments. Volunteers were recruited into the army, but in January 1919 military service was declared.
In 1919 - 1920 The Lithuanian army fought against the Red Army of the RSFSR, the Polish army and the White Western Volunteer Army (Russian and German volunteers). The Lithuanians lost 1401 people killed during this period, 2766 wounded and 829 missing.
On January 15, 1923, units of the Lithuanian Army (1078 people) defeated the French garrison in Memel (Klaipeda). The sides lost 12 Lithuanians, two Frenchmen and one German policeman killed.
Lithuanian soldiers. 1920s
From 1920 to 1938, the Lithuanian-Polish border was closed. From time to time, minor armed conflicts arose on it.
Thus, for 20 years after the end of hostilities in 1920, the Lithuanian Army did not conduct any significant military operations, with the exception of the peaceful entry of its units into the Vilensk region in October 1939.
Over time, the Lithuanian Army began to experience a shortage of qualified commanders, and officers who passed military school in Russian Empire and volunteer officers from Britain, Sweden, Germany and the United States were clearly in short supply. Therefore, the officer corps began to train in military schools of various levels. To obtain a junior officer rank (junior lieutenant ( jaunesnysis leitenantas)) it was required to graduate from Kaunas military school (Kauno karo mokykla). Since 1935, training has been going on for three years. By 1940, 15 graduates had graduated from this school. Brigadier General Jonas Juodisus ( Jonas Juodišius).
Headquarters officers (from major and above) in order to meet the highest command positions were trained in the Officer courses of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt ( Vytauto Didžiojo karininkų kursai). Until 1940, 500 officers graduated from these courses. Brigadier General Stasis Dirmantas ( Stasys dirmantas).
In addition, some Lithuanian staff officers graduated from military academies abroad - mainly in Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
At the Officer's courses of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt, there was a department for training military pilots.
The non-commissioned officers were trained in non-commissioned officer schools at the regiments. The training course lasted 8 months.
On June 1, 1940. The Lithuanian army numbered 28,005 people - 2,031 civilians and 26,084 military personnel - 1,728 officers, 2,091 petty officers (non-commissioned officers, junior non-commissioned officers, candidates for non-commissioned officers) and 22,265 soldiers.
The structure of the Armed Forces of Lithuania was as follows:
Higher military administration.According to the constitution, the head of all the country's armed forces was the president of the republic, Antanas Smetona ( Antanas smetona). There was an advisory body under the president - the Council National defense, which included the chairman of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Commander-in-Chief, the head of the army's supply service. Defense Minister Brigadier General Kazis Musteikis ( Kazys Musteikis) was subordinate directly to the president, he was the head of the armed forces and the manager of the country's military budget, an advisory body, the Military Council, worked under him.
The Commander-in-Chief was subordinate to the Minister of Defense - until April 22, 1940, Divisional General Stasis Rashtikis ( Stasys Raštikis), he was replaced by divisional general Vincas Vitkauskas ( Vincas Vitkauskas).
The General Staff was subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Army.
Local military administration.The territory of Lithuania was divided into three divisional military districts. Their chiefs were also the commanders of the infantry divisions. They were subordinate to the district commandant's offices: Panevezys, Kedainiai, Ukmerge, Utenos, Zarasai, Rokiskis, Raseiniai, Kaunas, Trakai, Alytus, Mariampolė, Vilkavishki, Shakiai, Seiniai, Birzhaya, Taulyingai, Mazeikiai, Telšhai, Kelshai.
In the Vilnius region, after its annexation in October 1939 to Lithuania, the commandant's office did not manage to create.
Land army.The land army of the Republic of Lithuania, by peacetime states, included three infantry divisions, a cavalry brigade, an armored detachment, an air defense unit, two engineering battalions, and a communications battalion.
The infantry divisions consisted of a command, three infantry and one artillery regiments.
Infantry regiments consisted of 2-3 battalions, a cavalry reconnaissance platoon, an air defense platoon, an engineering platoon, a chemical platoon, a communications company, in a battalion there were three rifle (three platoons), one machine gun (four machine gun platoons and a platoon of automatic cannons) company, in regiment 10 - 15 20mm automatic cannons, 10 - 15 mortars, 150 - 200 light and 70 - 100 heavy machine guns.
The artillery regiments consisted of three groups of two cannon and one howitzer battery in each, the battery had four guns and two light machine guns, and in total there were 24 75 mm cannons and 12 105 mm howitzers in the regiment (except for the 2nd group of the 4th artillery regiment was armed not with 75mm French, but 18-pounder British cannons).
In addition to artillery, divisions also had a separate training artillery group (300 people) and the 11th artillery (former reserve) regiment (300 people).
The cavalry brigade consisted of three regiments, commanded by Brigadier General Kazis Tallat-Kelpsha ( Kazys Tallat-Kelpša ).
Lithuanian cavalry exercises.
The cavalry brigade existed only nominally and the cavalry regiments were attached to the infantry divisions:
With the 1st Division: 3rd Dragoon Regiment "Iron Wolf" ( Trečiasis dragūnų Geležinio Vilko pulkas) - 1100 people;
With the 2nd Division: 1st Hussar of the Grand Hetman of the Lithuanian Prince Jan Radvill Regiment ( Pirmasis husarų Lietuvos Didžiojo Etmono Jonušo Radvilos pulkas) - 1028 people;
With the 3rd Division: 2nd Lancers grand duchess Birut regiment ( Antrasis ulonų Lietuvos Kunigaikštienės Birutės pulkas) - 1000 people.
Each cavalry regiment consisted of four saber, machine-gun, technical squadrons, and a cannon platoon; horse batteries had 4 76.2 mm guns.
The air defense unit (800 people), created in 1934, included three batteries of three 75mm Vickers-Armstrong anti-aircraft guns, four batteries of 20mm German anti-aircraft guns of the 1928 model, and a searchlight battery.
The armored detachment (500 people) consisted of three tank companies (1st company - 12 outdated French Renault-17 tanks, 2nd and 3rd companies - 16 new English Vickers-Carden-Lloyd MkIIa light tanks), armored vehicles (six Swedish armored vehicles Landsverk-182).
Lithuanian armored detachment on the march. October 1939
The engineering battalions were at the disposal of the army commander.
1st battalion (800 people) consisted of three engineering and one training company;
The 2nd Battalion (600 men) consisted of two engineering companies and one training company.
A communications battalion (1000 people) served to provide communications for the high military command and consisted of a headquarters liaison, two telephone companies, two training companies, a dog school and a pigeon mail.
The infantry was armed with rifles of German (Mauser 98-II), Czechoslovakian (Mauser 24), Belgian (Mauser 24/30), Lithuanian (Mauser L - Lithuanian copy of the Belgian rifle) production; German easel machine guns Maxim 1908 and Maxim 1908/15, Czechoslovakian light machine guns Zbroyovka Brno 1926, in total there were about 160,000 rifles, 900 heavy and 2,700 light machine guns.
Swiss automatic 20mm Oerlikon cannons found widespread use in the Lithuanian Army, even on the Landsverk-181 armored vehicles ordered by Lithuania from Swedish factories, the standard armament was replaced with these guns (this model became known as Landsverk-182). The same cannon was installed on a batch of Czechoslovak TNH Prague tanks, which the Lithuanian government ordered and managed to pay, but did not manage to receive due to the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
The Lithuanian Army had 150 20mm Oerlikon cannons, about 100 Stokes-Brandt 81.4mm mortars made in Sweden, nine British 75mm Vickers-Armstrong anti-aircraft guns, 100 German 20mm 2cm Flak 28 anti-aircraft guns; field artillery was armed with 114 French 75mm field guns (including three Polish made in 1902/26, interned in September 1939), 70 French 105mm and 2 155mm Schneider howitzers, 12 British 18-pound (83.8mm) guns , 19 Russian 3-inch (76.2mm) guns Model 1902, as well as a large number of Polish 37mm Bofors anti-tank guns of 1936, which Lithuania got in 1939 as trophies.
Air Force.The Lithuanian Air Force, in addition to foreign models, was armed with ANBO aircraft of the actual Lithuanian construction by designer Antanas Gustaitis ( Antanas gustaitis), who at the same time in the rank of brigadier general headed the air force of the republic.
Antanas Gustaitis
Organizationally, aviation included a headquarters, a military aviation commandant's office, a fighter, bomber and reconnaissance air group, a military aviation school, a total of 1,300 people. According to the states, it was supposed to have three squadrons in each air group, but there were only eight squadrons (117 aircraft and 14 20mm anti-aircraft guns):
Lithuanian military pilots. 1937 g.
The training aviation had ANBO-3, ANBO-5, ANBO-51, ANBO-6 aircraft and old German aircraft. The total number of the Lithuanian Air Force on January 1, 1940 was:
Training: one Albatross J.II (1919), one Albatross C.XV (1919), one Fokker D.VII (1919), two L.V.G. C-VI (1919), five ANBO-3 (1929-32), four ANBO-5 (1931-32), 10 ANBO-51 (1936-40), three ANBO-6 (1933-34), 10 German Bucker -133 Jungmeister (1938-39), two Avro 626 (1937);
Transport staff two British De Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapid (1937), 1 Lockheed L-5c Vega Lituanica-2 (1936) - the legendary plane that crossed the Atlantic, built in the USA with the money of Lithuanian immigrants.
Fighters 7 Italian Fiat CR.20 (1928), 13 French Dewoitine D.501 (1936-37), 14 English Gloucester Gladiator MKI (1937);
Bombers and scouts 14 Italian Ansaldo Aizo A. 120 (1928), 16 ANBO-4 (1932-35), 17 ANBO-41 (1937-40), 1 ANBO-8 (1939);
The Polish bomber PZL-46 Som (1939), the German fighters Henschel-126 B-1 and Messerschmitt-109c were interned in September 1939.
Naval forces.The Lithuanian navy was weak, which was explained by the small length of its maritime border. Even the former German minesweeper was called simply a "warship" in official documents. A warship was in service " Prezidentas smetona", Border ship" Partisanas"And six motor boats.
« Prezidentas smetona”Was built in 1917 in Germany as a minesweeper and was sold to Lithuania in 1927. It was armed with two 20mm Oerlikon cannons and six machine guns. Crew - 76 people. Was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Protection.
Team " Prezidentas smetona". 1935 g.
On " PartisanasThere was one Oerlikon cannon and two machine guns.
The rest of the ships were unarmed.
In total, 800 people served in the Lithuanian naval forces.
Acquisition.The recruitment was carried out on the basis of general conscription; draft age 21.5 years, service life 1.5 years, after active service liable for military service for two years was on conditional leave and could be drafted by order of the Minister of Defense, then transferred to the 1st category reserve, from where he could be called up only upon mobilization announced by the president. After 10 years, the person liable for military service was transferred to the reserve of the 2nd category.
The call was held twice a year - on May 1 and November 1; the annual contingent of 20,000 young men was not conscripted all, but only 13,000 people, who were determined by drawing lots, the rest were immediately enrolled in the 1st category reserve.
Wartime army.According to the mobilization plans, the army was to consist of six infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades. The deployed division by state included:
Management (127 people);
- three infantry regiments, three battalions each (3,314 people per regiment);
- an artillery regiment (1,748 people);
- motorized air defense company (167 people);
- engineering battalion (649 people);
- communications battalion (373 people).
In total, the wartime division consisted of 13,006 people.
The mobilization aviation increased to 3,799 people, the naval forces - up to 2,000 people, the 1st and 2nd engineering battalions - up to 1,500 people, the communications battalion - up to 2,081 people, and the cavalry - up to 3,500 people.
In total, there are about 92,000 soldiers and officers. In addition, separate infantry battalions of 1009 people each were formed. Their number was determined by their capabilities and need.
Paramilitary formations.The Border Guard was subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was subdivided into eight directorates (districts). It included 1800 people, including 1200 on the border with the USSR.
Lithuanian Riflemen's Union ( Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga) was created in 1918 and performed the functions of the National Guard - guarded state property, provided disaster relief, and assisted the police. In wartime, he was supposed to carry out guard duty at important government and military facilities, as well as conduct partisan actions behind enemy lines.
Lithuanian arrows. 1938 g.
Any citizen who has reached the age of 16, completed a candidate's experience and received recommendations from five members of the Union could become a member of the Union. The leader of this formation was Colonel Salagius, and the union was directly subordinate to the General Staff. The riflemen's union was subdivided into 24 district detachments of various sizes: from 1000 to 1500 people with 30 to 50 machine guns.
The total strength of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union on June 1, 1940 consisted of 68,000 people, and its arsenal included 30,000 rifles and 700 machine guns of various systems.
Red Army and Lithuanian servicemen. Autumn 1940
After the incorporation of Lithuania into the USSR on August 17, 1940, the Lithuanian Army was reorganized into the 29th Lithuanian territorial rifle corps Red Army (179th and 184th rifle divisions with a cavalry regiment and an aviation squadron). The corps was headed by the former Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Army, Divisional General Vincas Vitkauskas, who received the rank of Lieutenant General in the Red Army.
A significant part of the Lithuanian officers were repressed, and the rest in December 1941 were assigned military ranks RKKA. However, most of these officers and generals were also arrested in early June 1941.
The servicemen retained their previous uniforms, only replacing the Lithuanian insignia with Soviet military symbols.
The corps, as part of the 11th Army of the Baltic Military District, participated in battles with the German army in 1941, but in August of the same year it was disbanded due to mass desertions.
The tank park of the former Lithuanian Army was lost by the Red Army during the summer battles of 1941 in the Baltic States.
Ship " Prezidentas smetona"Was included in Baltic Fleet USSR, renamed "Coral" and took part in hostilities during the Second World War. On January 11, 1945, the ship sank after being blown up by a mine in the Gulf of Finland.
See: Kudryashov I.Yu. The last army of the republic. Military establishment Lithuania on the eve of the occupation of 1940 // Sergeant magazine. 1996. No. 1.
See: J. Rutkiewicz, W. Kulikow, Wojsko litewskie 1918 - 1940. Warszawa 2002.
From the very beginning of its independence, from 1991, Lithuania took a course towards Western structures, both economic and defense, and overcame the path to them rather quickly. There are several reasons for this, including a relatively small population, a convenient strategic position, and certain traditions. Now the technology of the European integration of this country to some extent serves as a model for the current leadership of Ukraine, which has set the task of transferring its armed forces to NATO standards. The Lithuanian experience in this matter is invaluable, although Kiev will hardly be able to copy it directly. To begin with, you need to develop a military doctrine and compare it with the goals of the army of this Baltic country. This process will be of interest not only to Ukrainians.
Tasks of the Lithuanian Armed Forces
The task of the Lithuanian army in the event of an enemy attack (meaning Russia, who else?) Was formulated by the representative of the Department of Strategic Communication, Lieutenant Colonel Arturas Yasinskasov in autumn 2013. It is quite simple - if a war breaks out, then you need to somehow hold out for a month, conducting "asymmetric" actions, and then the NATO bloc will come into play and help, and most likely release. It is difficult to say how realistic it is to achieve such a result in a hypothetical situation described by a high-ranking officer. North Atlantic analysts suggest that it would take the Russian Armed Forces only three days to completely occupy not only Latvia, but Lithuania and Estonia at the same time. It is possible that by "asymmetry" is meant guerrilla-sabotage operations, which, as you know, are very damaging. strong armies, but nothing is said about this in the policy statement. Instead, the emphasis is on a classic military organizational structure, with ground units, artillery, air force and navy.
Ground troops
In 2011 at defense budget Lithuania has been allocated $ 360 million, that is, about a million dollars a day. There are about 10,640 professional military personnel in the country, there are 6,700 more trained specialists in the reserve with experience in army service, including those obtained in the Soviet Army, these are 14,600 soldiers and officers. Of the total number of peacetime personnel, the ground units account for 8,200 military personnel, organizationally divided into two motorized, two mechanized and one engineer battalions. The equipment is mixed, partly old Soviet (BRDM-2), but mainly American (M113A1), a total of 187 light armored vehicles. The Lithuanian army also has artillery, these are 120-mm mortars (61 pcs.), German Carl Gustaf guns (100 pcs.), 18 anti-aircraft guns, as well as wearable anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems.
Air force
Aviators in Lithuania are 980 soldiers and officers serving at three Air Force bases in five squadrons. At the same time, there are only sixteen units of flying equipment. This is not much, but the Ukrainian troops, for example, should not be particularly concerned about it, because after the failures over Donbass, Kiev has, if more, then not much. There are practically no fighters, attack aircraft and bombers in the Lithuanian Air Force, except for the Czech L-39ZA combat trainers, capable of delivering strikes in the event of absolute air domination. There are also transporters L-410 (small-sized, 2 pcs.) And C-27J (3 pcs.), As well as Mi-8 helicopters (9 pcs.). That's all the air power of Lithuania.
Fleet
There are 530 sailors in the Lithuanian Navy. They are coastal personnel, the crews of one small Soviet-built Project 1124M anti-submarine ship, three Fluvefisken class patrol boats (Aukšaitis, Dzukas and Жemaitis), three Storm-class patrol boats (Skalvis, M-53 and M -54), as well as a command ship, also called "Skalvis". There is also a tugboat, a hydrographic ship and three more small boats, borderline (N-21-N23). The composition of the Lithuanian fleet is now comparable to the Ukrainian one. The Coast Guard has 540 sailors.
Mobilization potential and equipment in peacetime
In the event of the outbreak of war, men from 16 to 49 years old, fit for health reasons, are subject to mobilization, there are more than 910 thousand of them in the country (in 2011), and about the same number of women of the same age. In peacetime, the armed forces are recruited according to a mixed contract-conscription principle. Moreover, the number of those wishing to serve voluntarily in recent times decreased significantly, and out of 23.5 thousand people reaching draft age (in the range of 19-26 years), only two-thirds remain in the country, the rest leave to work in Europe. In connection with this circumstance, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite resumed conscription into the army, which had not previously been practiced.
Combat training
For 9 months it is difficult, if not impossible, to train a highly professional military man, but given the not very high saturation of equipment, it should be assumed that the bulk of the recruits enters the motorized rifle units. Exercises with the loud name "Fire Salvo - 2016" are planned for this summer, in which self-propelled guns of the battalion them. Romualdas Giedraitis under the command of Lieutenant General Aushrius Buikus. There are four such cars in Lithuania, and the same number will be brought by the Germans for such an occasion; their arrival is expected in May. For the first time in many years, these maneuvers will take place with the involvement of conscripts. Shooting provides for practicing suppressing the batteries of a conventional enemy at distances of up to 40 km. German equipment is given as a test, and based on the results of the exercises, a decision will be made on the purchase of another 16 units of self-propelled artillery units used in the Bundeswehr. This is where a very interesting pattern begins to emerge.
How to spend the defense budget of Lithuania?
Lithuania spends on defense significantly less than two percent of the state budget adopted by NATO. She is not alone in this, many states of the Alliance ignore this requirement, which upsets the leadership of the main members, and part-time sponsors of this organization. Therefore, Vilnius is constantly encouraged to acquire at least some samples, the way is not new, but crushing in a NATO way (as today's owners of old weapons assure). In particular, of the 16 Bundeswehr installations, three will have to be immediately disassembled for parts in order to repair the rest, which, of course, will scare away all aggressors, especially Russian ones. The enviable and badly needed acquisitions also include M577 command vehicles (26 units) produced at different times (mainly in the 60s), BPz-2 armored recovery vehicles (6 units) and other time-tested units. military equipmentwho have served their time in "top-notch" armies and now have a 100% chance of serving the cause of democracy at the forefront of the defense.
Not funny
The Lithuanian army could serve as a topic for jokes of its closest neighbors, but humor in relation to it is extremely rare. Germans, Dutch or French keep seriousness on their faces, because they do not want to betray their true intentions and goals. They need to sell as much outdated equipment as possible, so they do not interfere with organization, general purpose and other internal affairs of Lithuania. Does the general hold the post of battalion commander? So what, you know better. Do you call the salag for nine months? Your business is probably better this way. The Russian military also has no reason to laugh at the Lithuanians. The more trash they buy, the calmer it will be on the western border. The Ukrainians also bought Saxon armored vehicles in Britain ...
The small arms and anti-tank weapons of the Lithuanian army actually meet the specified criterion - the soldiers have M-14 and M-16 automatic rifles, Colt and Glock pistols, and even the Javelin anti-tank missile system. But the vehicles of the Lithuanian Armed Forces on the ground are not so good, since for the most part they are outdated BTR-60, BRDM-2, MT-LB Soviet production.
Of all the branches and arms of the troops, the country's naval forces (Navy) are the weakest. Although the republic has strong maritime traditions, the core combat strength Lithuanian Navy - two minesweepers of the Hunt type made in Great Britain and several Norwegian (Storm type) and Danish (Fluvefisken type) patrol boats. At the same time, none of the ships has missile weapons, although the developed complex of guided missile weapons on board is the main trend of the naval forces in the 21st century.
Against the background of the Baltic Fleet of Russia, this mosquito squadron looks extremely small, however, the main problem is not in the number of Lithuanian minesweepers and patrol boats (there are only 12 of them), but in their quality.
Consider the combat capabilities of Lithuanian warships.
British minesweeper Hunt
Ships of this type began to be built in 1980.
The basic minesweeper with a displacement of 615 tons, 60 meters long and 10 meters wide has a fiberglass hull, a two-shaft power plant (two diesel engines with a total capacity of 3800 horsepower) and a speed of about 35 kilometers per hour. Crew - 45 people. For a more complete description, numbers and naval terms cannot be avoided.
The main armament of the minesweeper: one Bofors anti-aircraft gun mount of 40 mm caliber (during the Second World War) and two artillery mounts of 20 mm caliber.
Hunt's electronic armament includes a navigation radar station, the Matilda UAR-1 electronic warfare system, a 193M type hydroacoustic mine search station, and a second Mil Cross mine warning station.
To search for mines on the minesweeper, a team of scuba divers-miners are located and two autonomous underwater vehicles are placed to neutralize French-made mines of the late 1980s.
One gets the impression that the main task of the Lithuanian naval sailors in combat conditions is to practically manually clear the Baltic channel of mines for other NATO members who will come up later to rescue Lithuania.
Patrol boat Storm
Such ships began to be built 55 years ago. For example, the Lithuanian boat P33 Skalvis (aka the Norwegian Steil P969) was built in 1967; he worked a lot in his native Norwegian Navy and was decommissioned in 2000. Shortly after the decommissioning, the Norwegians sold it to a Baltic ally. Note that this is not the oldest Storm type boat in Lithuania.
The boat has a displacement of 100 tons, a length of 36 meters and a width of 6 meters. Two diesel engines with a total capacity of 6,000 horsepower provide travel speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Crew - 19 people.
These relatively small boats, which were part of the Norwegian Navy, were armed with Penguin Mk1 anti-ship missiles (ASM). Unlike other anti-ship missiles, "Penguins" were equipped with an infrared rather than radar guidance system, flew a maximum of 20 kilometers and rarely hit the target.
The boats were sold to Lithuania without missile weapons. And this is understandable, because the task of Storm is to launch a missile strike on enemy ships, followed by "flight" into the Norwegian fjords. There are no fjords in the Baltic, so there is no need to anger the enemy once again.
Storm left only the old 76 mm gun mount and the 40 mm Bofors antiaircraft gun. The hydroacoustic station and anti-submarine weapons were initially absent on such boats.
To understand the big picture: by 2000, all 19 Storm boats were withdrawn from the Norwegian Navy, and seven of them (after the dismantling of missile weapons) were transferred to Latvia (3 units), Lithuania (3) and Estonia (1). With Danish boats "Fluvefisken" - about the same story.
The worn-out armament "from the master's shoulder" reflects the attitude of Brussels towards the Baltic allies. In turn, the authorities of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia continue to pretend that everything is going according to plan, "military" money is spent prudently and "Russian aggression", including from the sea, will be repelled. "Three wise men in one basin set sail in a thunderstorm" ...
The Republic of Lithuania spends about 0.8 percent of GDP on defense (in 2012 - almost $ 344 million). The country's army, one might say, is weak and poorly equipped and does not have the ability to mobilize larger forces. The basis ground forces is only one brigade of infantry. The armed forces of Lithuania cannot defend the country on their own, without the help of the North Atlantic Alliance. But in Lithuania there are volunteer formations ready to recall the partisan experience if the enemy suddenly attacks.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of ground forces, naval forces, air forces and troops special operations... They trace their history back to the Lithuanian army - the army of the Republic of Lithuania in 1918-1940. Soon after Germany's surrender in World War I, on November 23, 1918, the authorities of the newly created Republic of Lithuania issued an army formation act. This day is celebrated as the Day of Lithuanian Warriors.
Three wars in two years
On December 20, 1918, the President of the Council of Lithuania Antanas Smetona and the Prime Minister of Lithuania Augustinas Voldemaras arrived in Germany to receive assistance in the formation of the armed forces. By the end of the year, Germany paid Lithuania 100 million marks of reparations, which were used to purchase weapons for the army. These were mainly the weapons left by the German troops in Lithuania. At the end of December 1918, the new Lithuanian government, headed by Mykolas Slezheviches, issued a proclamation to volunteer to join the army to defend the homeland. The volunteers were promised to be given land. In parallel, Germany began to form volunteer units in the Baltics. Parts of the 1st German Volunteer Division arrived in Lithuania from Germany in January 1919. All German units, including volunteers, left Lithuania in July 1919.
On March 5, 1919, mobilization into the Lithuanian army was announced. Its number reached eight thousand by the end of the summer. The Lithuanians had to fight against the Red Army, which invaded Lithuania from the east. January 5, 1919 soviet troops occupied Vilnius, and on January 15 - Siauliai. Lithuanian troops with the help of a German volunteer corps (10 thousand people) stopped the Red Army at Kedainaya. On February 10, the combined German-Lithuanian troops defeated the Soviets at Sheta near Kaunas and forced them to retreat. The Germans fought in Lithuania until the end of May 1919, as the German government was concerned about the advance of the Red Army towards the borders of East Prussia. On April 19, Polish troops drove out the troops of the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Republic from Vilnius. By the beginning of October 1919, the Lithuanian army drove the Red Army out of the territory of Lithuania. In July - December, the Lithuanians fought against the White Guard Western Russian army of General Pavel Bermondt-Avalov, which also included German volunteer detachments, and defeated it in November at Radviliskis, and on December 15 they drove the Western army out of the territory of Lithuania.
On July 12, 1920, a peace treaty was signed between Lithuania and Soviet Russia, according to which Moscow recognized Lithuania's right to Vilnius. This city, occupied in June by the Red Army, after the defeat of the latter near Warsaw, was transferred to the control of the Lithuanian troops at the end of August. In September, fighting broke out between Polish and Lithuanian troops. On October 7, an armistice agreement was reached in Suwalki with the mediation of the Entente. However, the Lithuanian-Belarusian division of the Polish army under the command of General Lucian Zheligovsky, allegedly out of control of the Polish government, broke the resistance of the Lithuanian troops and took Vilnius on October 8, which in 1923 was annexed to Poland. Fighting between the Polish and Lithuanian troops were terminated at the end of November 1920.
The events of 1918-1920 in Lithuania are called the War of Independence, which actually breaks up into three wars: Lithuanian-Soviet, Lithuanian-Polish and the war against the Western Army. The commander-in-chief of the Lithuanian army since May 7, 1919 was General Silvestras Zukauskas (Sylvester Zhukovsky), a former major general of the Russian army (before being appointed commander-in-chief, he was General Staff Lithuanian troops). During the War of Independence, the Lithuanian army lost 1,444 killed, more than 2,600 wounded and over 800 missing.
After the accession of Lithuania to The Soviet Union in August 1940, the Lithuanian army was reorganized into the 29th territorial rifle corps of the Red Army. The only training ship navy Lithuania, "President Smetona", bought in 1926 from Germany, was transferred to the Soviet Baltic Fleet, where, renamed "Pirmunas" ("Excellent"), then included in the NKVD naval border guard under the name "Coral", and with the outbreak of World War II, it entered the Baltic Fleet and was used as a patrol ship and a minesweeper. On January 11, 1945, renamed by that time into the T-33 minesweeper, it was sunk by a German submarine or blown up by a mine near the island of Aegna. The Lithuanian military aviation, which by the summer of 1940 had several dozen machines (mainly training and reconnaissance obsolete designs), was abolished. Nine ANBO-41, three ANBO-51, and one Gladiator I were transferred to service with the 29th corps as part of the 29th corps air squadron.
On the eve of World War II, almost all Lithuanian officers of the 29th corps were arrested. With the outbreak of the war, out of 16 thousand Lithuanians who served in the corps, 14 thousand either deserted, or with weapons in hand, having killed the commanders and commissars of non-Lithuanians, raised an uprising against the Soviet regime.
The main enemy is determined
The Lithuanian army was re-established with the restoration of Lithuania's independence in March 1990 and the formation of the Department of Regional Protection and the first training unit armed forces. However, practical measures to create an army followed only after the actual collapse of the USSR in August 1991 and the recognition of the independence of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the allied authorities and the government. Russian Federation in September. On October 10, 1991, the first Minister of Regional Protection was appointed - Audrius Butkevicius, who previously headed the Department of Regional Protection. The first Lithuanian military ranks were awarded on December 30, 1991.
On January 2, 1992, the Ministry of Regional Protection began its activity and the Lithuanian military aviation was re-established. At the same time, the first call for active military service was announced. On September 1, 1992, the Regional Security School was opened in Vilnius. Lithuanian army officers are also trained in the USA, Germany, Poland, other NATO countries and in Sweden. A flotilla was created on November 1 Naval forces Lithuania.
On November 19, 1992, the Supreme Council - the Restoration Seimas proclaimed the re-establishment of the Army of the Republic of Lithuania. Continuing the traditions of the army of the interwar period, many battalions of the modern Lithuanian army were given the names of the regiments of the 20-30s and their symbols. The subdivisions of the volunteer forces were named partisan districts, into which the Lithuanian partisans who fought against Soviet power in 1944-1957 were subdivided.
The supreme commander in chief is the President of Lithuania. The operational leadership of the armed forces is carried out by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces - a professional military, whose working body is the Joint Headquarters. The Ministry of Defense (Ministry of Defense of the Territory) is responsible for financing and supplying the armed forces.
Lithuania joined NATO on March 29, 2004. Its armed forces are integrated with the armed forces of other countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The military doctrine of Lithuania was adopted on March 10, 2010. It provides for the conduct of military and peacekeeping operations in conjunction with other NATO members and as part of Allied missions. In the event of a collective defense situation, the Lithuanian armed forces are transferred under the command of NATO. As the only threat to Lithuania's security, the doctrine considers “unstable states, in whose documents related to defense and security policies, military force allows to carry out actions of a military nature, directly or indirectly directed against Lithuania or its allies ”. This definition is understood primarily as Russia, although no Lithuanian documents speak of this directly and our country is not named. In the event of external aggression, it is assumed that "independent defense of the country and its collective defense together with the allies."
On September 15, 2008, conscription for military service was canceled. The last conscripts were transferred to the reserve on July 1, 2009. Since 2009, the recruitment of the armed forces has been carried out exclusively by contract volunteers.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces have 10,640 people, including 8,200 in the ground forces, 600 in the navy, 1,200 in the aviation, 1804 in the headquarters and services common to all the armed forces. 4600 people are in reserve ground forces reservists, united in the Volunteer Territory Security Troops. The male population aged 16 to 49 was 890 thousand in 2010, of which the number of fit for military service estimated at 669 thousand. Every year 20,425 men reach the age of 18, from which military service can begin.
Lithuania's military spending is 0.79 percent of GDP. In 2012, they can be estimated at $ 343.65 million at the official exchange rate and at $ 511.9 billion at purchasing power parity. The lack of financial resources affects the level of equipping the army with weapons and military equipment and the training of servicemen.
Ground troops
There are 8,200 people, including 3,600 professionals, and 4,600 active reservists from the Volunteer Territory Security Troops. The Professionals are divided into one Iron Wolf Brigade (three mechanized infantry battalions and one artillery battalion), three separate motorized infantry battalions, one engineer battalion and one training center.
The ground forces are armed with 10 BRDM-2 armored vehicles supplied by Poland, about 200 American M113A1 and M113A2 armored personnel carriers and Swedish BV 206 A MT armored personnel carriers.
Artillery is represented by 72 105-mm American M101 howitzers, provided by Denmark, and 61 120-mm M-43 mortars, supplied by Poland.
Anti-tank weapons - 10 American FGM-148 Javelin ATGMs, mounted on HMMWV wheeled all-terrain vehicles. There is also a number of FGM-148 Javelin ATGMs and Carl Gustav 84-mm anti-tank grenade launchers.
The air defense systems of the ground forces are represented by the American FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS, 10 of which are installed on MTLB armored personnel carriers, and eight on the American M113 armored personnel carriers. There are also a number of "Stingers" in a portable version.
4600 active reservists from the Volunteer Territory Guard Troops are united in six regiments and 36 territorial defense battalions.
Special operations forces consist of one special operations group, which includes a service (group) special purpose, one ranger battalion and a service (group) of combat divers.
Naval forces
There are about 600 people. Together with the Latvian and Estonian navies, they form the joint forces "Baltron", based in Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils, Tallinn and Klaipeda. The headquarters of the combined forces is located in Tallinn. The Lithuanian fleet consists of a battalion of patrol ships, a battalion of anti-mine ships and a battalion of auxiliary ships.
The fleet has three Danish Standard Flex 300 patrol boats armed with one 76mm cannon and one Norwegian Storm patrol boat with Penguin anti-ship missiles, one 76mm and one 40mm Bofors cannon.
There are also two German minesweepers of the Lindau type (type 331), two British Skulvis minesweepers (of the Hunt type), and one Norwegian minelayer of the Vidar type (also used as a command ship).
The Lithuanian Navy is primarily focused on the fight against mine risk. There are four auxiliary port vessels of Soviet and Danish production.
Air Force
There are 980 military personnel and 190 civilian personnel. Consist of one air defense battalion. The Air Force is armed with three C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, two L-410 Turbolet transport aircraft and two L-39ZA combat trainers. All aircraft manufactured in Czechoslovakia. The helicopter fleet consists of nine Mi-8s. There are several Swedish-made RBS-70 MANPADS. Lithuanian pilots have a fairly decent flight time - 120 hours a year.
Commands serving the needs of all military forces
The joint supply command numbers 1,070 people. It consists of one supply battalion. There are 734 people in the Joint Training and Documentation Command, it consists of one training regiment.
Militarized formations of other departments
The Lithuanian Shooting Union is public organizationtraining youth for military service. It has 9600 people.
The border guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has 5,000 people. The Coast Guard - 540 people, has three Finnish and Swedish-made patrol boats and one British-made Griffon 2000 amphibian.
Lithuanian troops outside the country and foreign allied forces on the territory of Lithuania
There are 236 Lithuanian military personnel in Afghanistan as part of the ISAF international security force. There is one Lithuanian military observer in the zone of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict within the OSCE mission. In Iraq, within the framework of the NATO mission, there are 12 Lithuanian servicemen.
Within the framework of NATO's Baltic airspace protection program air space Lithuania is patrolled on a permanent basis by four F-16 fighters from Germany, Holland, Denmark and other NATO countries. In the event of a sudden Russian invasion of Lithuania, other Baltic countries and Poland (although Russia is not directly named in the document, but it is obvious that it is she, and not about any aliens) in NATO, a defense plan was developed in early 2010 Eagle Guardian, which provides for the transfer of nine divisions of the armies of the United States, Germany, Great Britain and Poland to these countries during a threatened period or immediately after the start of aggression with appropriate air support to the territory of the Baltic States and to Poland and sending the alliance's warships to ports of Poland, Germany and the Baltic countries.
On the whole, the Lithuanian army is not inferior to the armies of other Eastern European countries - NATO members in terms of combat effectiveness, it has the ability to fully take part in the peacekeeping operations of the alliance and other international structures with its ground forces. At the same time, the Air Force and the Navy are incapable of solving the tasks of defending Lithuanian territory, and in this regard, Lithuania relies entirely on the assistance of its NATO allies. In the event of an attack from Russia, it is assumed that the Lithuanian army will be able to successfully defend itself for at least a week, before the arrival of reinforcements from other countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, but subject to the provision of air support from the first day of combat. At the same time, the main hopes are for the Volunteer Territory Security Troops, ready for partisan actions in the event of an enemy occupation.